That being said, you can improve your experience further by installing one of the best custom ROMs for Sony Xperia Z1. I’ve put together what I believe are the ten best custom ROMs that you can download for your Xperia Z1 right now.
Why Use a Custom ROM on Xperia Z1?
You might be wondering why to use a custom ROM when your Xperia Z1 is already so awesome and these factors should help make up your mind:
Get a fresher look on your phone. If you’ve been using the Xperia Z1 for a while, then using a custom ROM will give you that fresh new feeling. Better performance. These ROMs have lots of performance tweaks and they will make your phone a lot more snappier. You get new features that don’t come on your regular phone. Improved battery life. Battery life is probably a concern for most Android users and you’ll be surprised to see how much these custom ROMs can improve your phone’s battery life.
Prerequisites
Installing custom ROMs require root access and you if you haven’t rooted your Xperia Z1 or don’t have a recovery installed, you won’t be able to install any of the ROMs mentioned below. Rooting and installing custom ROMs are risky processes and you should only attempt them at your own responsibility. Ensure that the ROM you install supports your Xperia Z1 variant. Backup your phone with one of the ten best backup apps for Android. Charge your phone around 70 percent before you install any of these ROMs.
1. iHackers ROM
Based on the Android version 4.4.4, the iHackers used by tons of Android users. One of the best things about this ROM is that it features an Aroma installer that allows you do choose what you want to install. You can either install everything or keep the ROM clean. The ROM provides everything that the stock Sony interface offers along with several mods, tweaks and fixes. The ROM is also available in a Minimal version that doesn’t have any bloatware and has the smallest size. After installing the Minimal version, you can separately install more stuff through the downloadable addons pack. Notable Features:
New fonts Five new launchers Audio mod Performance mod
2. KitSlim_AMG ROM
The KitSlim_AMG ROM is based on a slim KitKat firmware and brings all the best features from Sony. The ROM is quite fast and there are several downloadable addons that you can flash. It brings nice features including AMG Performance Center, Z2 camera and dual recovery. Notable Features:
Xperia Z2 features Smart call handling New wallpapers
3. monxDIFIED Honam1Z ROM
The monxDIFIED Honam1Z ROM is a cool ROM available for the Xperia Z1 and it is based on Android version 4.4.2. The ROM supports most Xperia Z1 variants and brings updated Google and Sony apps. The ROM also brings several new features including a five way reboot menu, performance tweaks and call tweaks. Notable Features:
Force enabled developer options Unlimited buttons in Quick Settings Bloatware removed
4. EHNDROIX V ROM
This ROM is based on CyanogenMod 11 and even the smallest areas have been customized in order to give you the best possible interface. The ROM focuses on speed and also provides a great battery life. Based on Android 4.4.4, EHNDROIX V brings several new features including theme engine, nova launcher, Android L Heads Up, system tweaks, battery tweaks and high quality icons. Notable Features:
Ehndroix messaging app Ehndroix wallpapers New ringtones, alarm tones and notification sounds
5. LiquidSmooth ROM
The LiquidSmooth ROM is a fairly nice ROM on the Android Open Source Project, the LiquidSmooth ROM is fast and stable. It brings several new features including T-Mobile theme engine, Active Display, Ram bar and Privacy guard. Notable Features:
Lock screen notifications Custom animation controls Halo
6. CyanHacker ROM
The CyanHacker ROM is an unofficial port, so you can’t expect full support for the ROM. That being said, the ROM is stable and there aren’t any known bugs. The CyanHacker ROM uses the LiquidSmooth ROM and it maintains high speed and stability. The ROM offers several new features including Shake events, Slim recents, Pie, Hover, Heads Up, Ad blocker and Lock screen notifications. Notable Features:
CyanHacker ROM control Viper4Android sound mod Screen recorder System tweaks
7. NamelessROM
This is another unofficial port of a popular custom ROM. Nameless ROM focuses on non-stop quality development so that you get the best possible experience. The ROM also brings several new features including a Theme manager and Lock screen blur. Notable Features:
See through lock screen LED custom settings Lock screen notifications
8. BeanStalk ROM
This is an unofficial build of the popular BeanStalk ROM. The ROM is known for its stability, speed, customizability and great battery life. Based on the CyanogenMod firmware, the ROM brings several new features including Slim recents, Hover, Active Display, lock screen rotation, Heads Up and Shake events. Notable Features:
Lock screen background options Custom carrier label BeanStalk wallpapers Pie controls
9. Dirty Unicorns ROM
Dirty Unicorns is another popular custom ROM for many Android devices and an unofficial build is available for the Xperia Z1. Based on Android 4.4.4, the ROM is known for its stability and customizations. It has customizable quick settings, Immersive mode, customizable lock screen shortcuts, Halo and Init.d tweaks. Notable Features:
Ad blocker Cloud based wallpapers OmniSwitch
10. Mahdi-ROM
Based on Android 4.4.4, the unofficial Mahdi-ROM build is the final ROM in this list. The ROM brings several new features including DSP manager, Quiet hours, Privacy guard, T-Mobile theme engine and Immersive mode. Notable Features:
Pie navigation Slim recents Profile switcher
Conclusion
Android ROMs are a great way to make the most out of your Android device and if you’ve been using your Sony Xperia Z1 for a while, then I highly recommend installing a custom ROM. Not only will you get a new user interface, but your phone’s performance will also improve. There are several different custom There are several different custom ROMs available for the Xperia Z1, but the ten ROMs above should help you narrow down your search. If you have any questions on the best custom ROMs for Sony Xperia Z1, write a comment below.
